Establishment of the Military History Memorial Hall... Will It Address Korean War POWs?

During the Korean War, South Korean prisoners of war who were held captive in North Korea and exchanged with the Chinese People's Volunteer Army were welcomed by the U.S. military as they were repatriated to South Korea by train. The photo is one of 100 color photographs donated in June 2004 to the Dongbang Social Welfare Center in Seoul by James Enfer (72), an American who participated in the Korean War as a member of the United Nations forces.

[Asia Economy Reporter Yang Nak-gyu] The Ministry of National Defense has decided to establish the Kookgun History Memorial Hall to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Korean War, but controversy is arising over whether to include content about Kookgun prisoners of war (POWs). Since the Moon Jae-in administration has refrained from mentioning the repatriation of Kookgun POWs to the North in consideration of inter-Korean relations, there are concerns that the content regarding Kookgun POWs may be downplayed.

According to the Ministry of National Defense on the 29th, the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA) is expected to announce research results this month or next month reviewing the necessity, location, scale, and other directions for the project of establishing the memorial hall. KIDA considered establishing the Kookgun History Memorial Hall at Taereung, where the Korea Military Academy is located, or at Gyeryongdae, where the three military headquarters are gathered, but judged that these locations would be geographically difficult for the general public to visit. KIDA concluded that it would be appropriate to invest 26.8 billion won to demolish the wedding hall at the War Memorial located in Yongsan, Seoul, and establish the Kookgun History Memorial Hall there. Based on this, the Ministry of National Defense expects to start design work this year and complete construction by 2023.

The issue is how much content about Kookgun POWs will be covered. On the 6th, President Moon Jae-in attended the 65th Memorial Day ceremony held at the National Daejeon Cemetery and emphasized that the roots of the Kookgun lie in the Independence Army and the Liberation Army. He mentioned several names of Kookgun veterans from the Liberation Army and Independence Army. However, there was no mention of Kookgun POWs. There was also no mention of Kookgun POWs at the 70th anniversary event of the Korean War. This is why concerns are emerging that the content about Kookgun POWs may be minimized even if the Kookgun History Memorial Hall is established.

During the three inter-Korean summits under the Moon Jae-in administration, no request was made to North Korea for the repatriation of Kookgun POWs. The Ministry of National Defense estimates that about 500 Kookgun POWs are still alive in North Korea. Kookgun POWs believed to be alive in the North appeared during inter-Korean family reunions in 2002 (3 people), 2005 (2 people), 2009 (1 person), 2010 (4 people), and 2015 (1 person).

Park Sun-young, director of Mulmangcho, said, "The current administration is neglecting the issue of Kookgun POWs, such as not inviting a single Kookgun POW to the 70th anniversary ceremony of the Korean War," and added, "The issue of Kookgun POWs should be handled transparently as a human rights issue, not as an ideological issue between the South and the North."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.